From the Group Chat: A New Toxic Mom Group, Eyebrow-Raising Wellness Products, and “His & Hers”

EDITOR’S NOTE

Happy Sunday. I think we all deserve a round of applause for making it through “circling back” week. As a reward, I’m treating myself to some extra scrolling this weekend. Among my discoveries:

• If you, like me, spend 95% of your waking hours in leggings, you’ll want these effortlessly chic styling ideas (the second has taken over my local farmers market).

• Forget Paris and New York. The “Aspen Look” is officially the new source of fashion inspo — and it’s much more subtle than whatever Lauren Sánchez Bezos getup you’re imagining.

• Just when I thought I’d successfully avoided the toe ring renaissance, I discovered Hailey Bieber is resurrecting the other accessory that defined my entire middle school aesthetic. 

• Ding-dong, the freaky shoe is dead. Taking its place? The freaky skirt, which is “a surprisingly useful sartorial tool.” I’ll let you be the judge of that.

• I certainly didn’t expect to see this Gen X icon in an A$AP Rocky music video, but, well, stranger things have happened. And I kind of love it. 

— Melissa Goldberg / Senior Editor / Washington, DC

❤️ If you also find the pop-of-red styling trick too bold, rejoice: Jennifer Lawrence and Zoë Kravitz are making the case for a new accent color du jour.  

⚫️ Cool girls are reviving another one of your grandma’s favorite games — and unlike mahjong, this one’s actually easy to learn. 

🥵 PSA: This wildly popular wellness activity could be ruining your hair. But before you panic, there are ways to protect it. 

❄️ Think you can’t pull off winter whites? These eight foolproof outfit ideas make the look shockingly wearable — as long as you keep the red wine at arm’s length. 

🤘 In case you needed further proof that the 2010s are having a moment: The ultimate indie-sleaze hair accessory is making a comeback. Apologies to brushes everywhere.

Move over, MomTok — a new toxic mom group has the internet in a chokehold. Yes, we’re talking about Ashley Tisdale (excusez-moi, Ashley French) and her viral essay for The Cut. For the unfamiliar, let’s go back, back to the beginning: In December, the actress published a blog post titled “You're Allowed to Leave Your Mom Group,” followed by The Cut piece, in which she opened up about her exit from her supposed “village.” After being excluded from group hangs she saw on social media and feeling “frozen out,” she said it was basically high school all over again — mind you, not the musical kind. While French didn’t name names, internet sleuths quickly speculated that Hilary Duff, Mandy Moore, Meghan Trainor, cookbook author Gaby Dalkin, and other surprising names were supposedly involved. The “evidence”? The crew’s rich-mom escapades were well documented on Instagram (see: this sorority recruitment pic, complete with matching sweatsuits) until December 2024, per Page Six. And, according to the chronically online, French no longer follows Duff, Moore, or Dalkin on Insta. 

But on Monday, French reps responded to the rumors, telling TMZ that the piece isn’t about that friend group — which is about as believable as The Lizzie McGuire Movie plot. Particularly after Duff’s husband, Matthew Koma, entered the chat with a photoshopped Cut cover story, featuring what can only be described as The World’s Most Scathing Headline (Matthew, we were unfamiliar with your game). And the fact that Haylie Duff, whose maybe estranged relationship with her sister has spawned many internet investigations, liked an Insta post promoting the essay. Not to mention, Dalkin’s seemingly cheeky response on Threads and Trainor’s tea-sipping TikTok. As for the rest of the moms? They’ve largely been silent on the matter — instead posting about their new NSFW song (at least, in Duff’s case). TBD if we’ll ever learn what really happened (your move, Andy Cohen), but Ashley, we hear that finding your “strawberry people” may be the key to making (new) close friends.

Folks, we didn’t think it was possible, but the wellness industry has officially out-wellnessed itself. On Monday, self-help guru Mel Robbins unveiled the revolutionary product she apparently spent a year working on: a protein shot. “There is absolutely nothing like it in the world until now,” she claimed in an Instagram video, which is a curious choice of words, given the overwhelming number of protein drinks on shelves. Plus, as eagle-eyed commenters pointed out, a virtually identical-looking product already existed under a slightly different name. The day’s other big announcement? Gwyneth Paltrow revealed a collab with wellness bro Andrew Huberman that, for whatever reason, she was “praying” for: Brain-supporting turkey chili, which you can scoop up (presumably, not with Tostitos) if you have a spare $17 and a Goop Kitchen nearby. According to Paltrow, “there’s just nothing like it” (our saved recipes would disagree). Of course, this is incredibly on-brand for a woman who’s created a lot of frankly unnecessary products in the name of wellness (never forget yoni eggs). Still, we can’t help but wonder what’s next: Rebranding yogurt? Launching bone broth smoothies? Let them…we guess.

First, Nicole Kidman invented divorce bangs. Now, she’s pioneered Divorce Curls™ (at the airport, no less). We see you, Babygirl.

If you’ve ever been in an argument (so, everyone), you know there are two sides to every story. His & Hers, the aptly titled Netflix miniseries, shares both. Adapted from Alice Feeney’s 2020 novel, the psychological thriller follows estranged spouses — TV reporter Anna (Tessa Thompson) and detective Jack (Jon Bernthal) — covering the same small-town murder, which, yes, is exactly as awkward as it sounds. As they dig into the case, old secrets surface, past wounds reopen, and fingers start pointing in all directions. Especially at each other. Expect shocking twists, Bernthal’s signature brooding, and an ending that you have zero chance of guessing.

I’m From Rice Whip Facial Cleanser

Caroline, senior commerce editor, here. Cleansers aren’t typically known for their brightening abilities — that distinction is usually reserved for things like vitamin C serums and exfoliants — but this $18 Korean one is the exception. Every time I rinse it off, I’m amazed by how fresh and clear my skin looks, without the redness I always get around my nose and mouth when I touch my face in any way. This is an excellent choice all year, but I especially love it in the winter, when the combination of arctic temperatures outside and dry, desertlike heat inside wreaks havoc on my skin. Use it alongside the complementary milky essence (another one of my recent ride-or-dies), and no need to thank me.

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Unleash your competitive side with today’s games and puzzles. Choose from an anagram word search, digital jigsaw puzzle, or crossword (with a twist). Better yet: Try them all.